Thomas Daschle: “I thank Senator Conrad and Senator Collins who have been partners in this effort. I thank them for their cosponsorship…”

“I thank Senator Conrad and Senator Collins who have been partners in this effort. I thank them for their cosponsorship and I appreciate very much their help in addressing this challenge. America's rural schools today educate nearly 40 percent of the children in our country. Many face funding challenges because of limited tax bases, their remote locations, and the large geographical areas they serve. The Rural Education Achievement Program is part of the No Child Left Behind Act. It is designed to help schools in rural communities address these challenges and make sure rural students have access to a high quality education. Unfortunately, this program, like so many others in the new law, is grossly underfunded. The amendment we offer today provides an additional $132 million to fully fund the REAP Program at the authorized level--I emphasize the ``authorized'' level--of $300 million. REAP is the first Federal program dedicated to helping rural schools address the unique challenges they face.”